A decade after the crash of Air India Flight 101, British aviation investigators are pressing for new inquiries into the disaster that killed 329 people. The aircraft, a Boeing 747, went down off the coast of Ireland in June 1985, in what remains the deadliest aviation incident involving a Canadian airline. Investigators from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) have cited fresh evidence suggesting that the official cause – a bomb planted by Sikh extremists – may have been compounded by structural failures or crew error.
The AAIB’s renewed interest follows declassified documents from the Indian government indicating potential lapses in baggage screening at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Families of the victims, many of whom are British citizens, have long called for a fuller accounting. A spokesman for the AAIB stated: 'We are committed to examining any new data that could shed light on the sequence of events.
' The Indian authorities have maintained that the bombing was a deliberate act of terrorism, but the AAIB’s intervention underscores unresolved questions about systemic failures in aviation security during the 1980s. The investigation is expected to focus on cockpit voice recorder transcripts and maintenance logs for the aircraft, which had a history of technical issues. The anniversary has reignited debates about the adequacy of international protocols for airport security and disaster investigation.
